Session 8. Oral Presentation for: Pathways to sustainable aviation and marine fuel: insights from a binational eFuel pre-FEED project

Presented on 19 May 2026: Session 8 In February 2025, Downer began working with the Franco-Australian Centre for Energy Transition (FACET) on a pre-FEED (pre-Front End Engineering Design) study for a commercial-scale plant in Australia to produce sustainable aviation and maritime Fuels. The 8-month study involves FACET’s founding partners, including the French Commission for Atomic and Alternative Energy (CEA) and H2Potential, along with FACET’s 16 ‘First Movers’ such as Airbus, CMA CGM, EDF and TotalEnergies. The project will combine Downer’s technical expertise in solution architecture, asset management and industrial and power generation to develop the conceptual design for the plant. The study will follow a structured development process to identify the most suitable method for producing sustainable aviation and marine fuel in Australia. This involves assessing current and emerging sustainable liquid fuel production technologies, evaluating feedstock availability and supply chains, modelling plant design options and analysing lifecycle emissions and operational costs. The process also includes consultation with industry, government, and research partners to ensure the selected approach is technically feasible, commercially viable and capable of meeting sustainability and regulatory standards. The collaboration was announced during the inaugural Franco-Australian Centre for Energy Transition Symposium in late 2024. It represents an international, multi-stakeholder approach to advancing technologies that can reduce carbon emissions in transport sectors that are difficult to decarbonise. The outcomes of the study will inform future investment decisions and potential implementation pathways for synthetic fuel production as part of Australia’s energy transition. To access the Oral Presentation click ‘Supplementary data’ below. To read the full paper click here